The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser.
Heading into Friday, the Jordan football team was desperate for a win—not a pretty one, just a win.
If one thing has been constant through the first few games of the Alfred Rowe era at Jordan, it’s been adversity. The Panthers opened their new stadium with a 2-0 start, and overcame more adversity against Bell Gardens on Friday night to pull out a gritty 16-6 win.
“We dealt with adversity and we handled it really well tonight and got the win,” Rowe said after the game. “You don’t know when they’re gonna come or how they’re gonna come, but it came and it felt good. With everything they’ve been through, these kids deserve it. We still have a goal and the season starts next week, so we’ll flush this out tomorrow and continue next week.”
Jordan’s opening drive was a good reflection of the type of adversity they’d be dealt with. That offensive drive was killed due to four flags, and the Panthers finished the night with 14 total penalties.
Despite those early stumbles, Jordan was the first team to strike thanks to a short porch following a missed Bell Gardens field goal. Quarterback Sama’Jay Jackson found two completions on a four-play drive, including a deep ball to Kani Swisher for a 58-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
“We just kept pushing,” Jackson said of the early going. “We go through it everyday at practice and we practice hard. So even with the flags we just kept pushing. We’ve been working for this and we wanted to make up for the two losses so we just went to work.”
The touchdown came as Jackson’s first of two, and the junior finished with over 150 passing yards with one interception. The dual-threat All-League basketball player also flashed his athleticism on the ground where he racked up 60 rushing yards on eight carries.
“I’ve come a long way, you know?” he said. Jackson is in his first year playing football since middle school. “Coming back from basketball to football has been rocky, but I’ve been understanding it better since our last game. Now it’s time for me to take off and show y’all what I can do.”
The Panthers added to their lead before the half after beginning a drive with under two minutes to play. The drive then stalled as a result of an Anthony Lopez sack, forcing a fourth down from the Bell Gardens 25-yard line. Luis Alvez then drilled a 43-yard field goal to give Jordan a 9-0 lead at half.
Bell Gardens was able to find the endzone in the third quarter after putting together a lengthy seven minute, 11-play drive resulting in a one-yard plunge by Jonathan Castellon. The Lancers were set up at the one-yard line thanks to a personal foul by a defensive player for Jordan.
Outside of that drive, the Jordan defense played a nearly spotless game, especially against a Bell Gardens offense that had averaged almost 35 points in its first three games. The Panthers held their opposing quarterback to a 7/22 passing (32% completion percentage) and only 49 passing yards.
“We just made some adjustments,” Rowe said of his defense. “We’ve honestly done a pretty good job on defense and I take pride in that—I call the defense you know? So we saw it, made some adjustments, and all of a sudden everything started to stop.”
Jordan scored once more on a five-play drive in the fourth quarter, ending in a scramble and throw from Jackson to Kymani Hill for a touchdown. Running back Marcus Williams had a pair of nice runs on that drive and ended the night with 80 rushing yards.
Jordan’s first win comes one week ahead of the league season, and the Panthers will open their league schedule against Long Beach Poly. Jordan will have one last non-league game a week later against Charter Oak, and they host their next four games.
“Now we have to be ready for the season. We got to go,” Rowe said. “Everybody knows my goal. We want to be the first team in the city to do it. So we still have opportunities and we have seven more chances, so let’s go.”
